Friday, March 24, 2017

Mapping Global Warming

Every year the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issues a report on the state of the global climate. The WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2016 (PDF) reports that 2016 was the warmest year on record. The statement also reports that globally averaged sea-surface temperatures were also the warmest on record; global sea levels continued to rise; and Arctic sea-ice extent was well below average for most of the year.

This year the WMO has released a summary of some of the annual statement's findings on the global climate in the form of an Esri Story Map. The Highlights of Global Climate 2016 map not only provides a summary of some of the annual statement's main findings it also visualizes global warming anomalies around the world using an interactive map.

If you click on the map you can view how much temperatures rose at that location in 2016. As you scroll through the Highlights of Global Climate 2016 the story map also takes you on a tour, providing a summary, of the temperature anomalies in each of the major regions of the world.